A Night Without Stars
by Tifa-Shan
Summary: Final Fantasy VII Sequel. The group leaves Kalm days after Midgar's destruction to continue with their lives. However, will this process be harder than they think? Please R/R.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII does not belong to me, nor does anything related.  
  
Okay, this is my second attempt at a FFVII sequel. Hopefully this one will be much more successful... Anyway, I'm very thankful for all of you who will read and review this. As always, reviews are appreciated. Thanks. ^^;  
  
~* A Night Without Stars *~  
  
Chapter 1: Aftermath  
  
Tick. Tock. It was the same. Every quiet second that went by, it was the same. The sound of distant voices, blurred by all the was still around her in this cozy but cold room. Sitting on this bed, curled up as her mind thought and thought again the events that had happened...how long ago now? A day, two days ago? Regardless, it had happened. Midgar was destroyed, many innocents killed...  
  
Tick. Tock. That little wooden clock...it just kept going. Was that what everyone was to do..? Just keep going? She figured so, as she buried her face in her knees, curling up even tighter. Seeing the destruction...it had made her feel empty, and despair filled her soul as her future lay blank now...open, but blank. She had no idea where to start....except she knew who she wanted to be with. But now...was it really the time?  
  
"Yo, Tifa!" Barret's voice called out from the entrance to the room. The large, ebony man walked in, silently closing the door behind him. "What you lookin' so down for? You ain't been talking much."  
  
"Barret...I'm just confused." The twenty year old said, a distant expression on her face. "What do we do now?"  
  
"We live. There ain't much else we can do, Tifa." He comforted her to the best of his abilities, looking down to her with sympathy. "We did our best...now we jus' gotta deal with it and go on."  
  
"I know...I just don't know where to go anymore." She shook her head, strands of her long, dark brown hair falling over her shoulders, her bangs brushing against her eyes. "I'm just so used to fighting with everyone, I guess."  
  
"We can't fight when there ain't nothing else to fight. It's really over...it's time to go home." Barret explained, heading back for the door. "We've been hanging around this inn for a while now..." And the door closed behind him, his sentence trailing off into nothing.  
  
"...I know..." She whispered to herself. 'But Cloud...' Tifa thought. 'I wonder what he's like now? It's been so long since I really talked to anyone....I've locked myself in here practically.' With a sigh of reluctance, the brunette slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Her muscles ached for sitting still so long, but she was too tired to care. Brushing down her black skirt and dusting off her form-fitting white tank top, she exited the room, her boots clunking softly against the wooden floor.  
  
"Well, looks like she decided to show up!" Cid stated, standing in the lobby of Kalm's inn. With him were Barret and Vincent. "The others are looking around town, in case you're wondering." He mentioned, taking a long puff on one of his cigarettes.  
  
"Thanks." She said lowly, her voice somewhat distracted. "What are all of you doing..?"  
  
"Jus' killing time...trying to figure out what we can do." Barret gave a shrug.  
  
"Oh..okay..." Tifa said, leaning against a wall thoughtfully. "Hmm...."  
  
"Do you know where you're headed, Tifa?" Vincent questioned in his usual concerned but emotionless tone. He was dark and brooding as usual, his mind occupied with several subjects that were a mystery to all of those around him.  
  
"No..." The woman replied simply. And yet another sigh of despair exited her lips. At that moment, Cloud walked in the lobby, everyone glancing at him just enough to acknowledge him. His expression couldn't be interpreted by Tifa, who studied his face curiously. It was as if he looked cold...but he wasn't. He looked about like she did...lost. Lost with no idea where to go.  
  
"Tifa..?" Cloud raised a brow at her. "You finally came out."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Cloud...." She started, but soon came to a reluctant pause.  
  
"What?" He asked, turning to her. "What is it?"  
  
"..I was just wondering if you knew...what you're gonna do." Her eyes looked to his Mako ones for a few seconds, wondering what his answer would be. And he just stood there, as she waited desperately. It seemed more of those quiet seconds passed before he finally answered.  
  
"I don't know..." He shook his head slowly, his answer sincere. Tifa's mind went blank...she expected disappointment, but instead felt nothing. Nothing at all...  
  
"Damn...where's those other numbskulls at?" Cid said impatiently, looking at a large grandfather clock. It was four o' clock already, and he was tired of staying at this inn. "I say we figure all of this shit out tonight."  
  
"I planned on it..." Cloud told him. "I was hoping maybe we could all find someplace to go in the meantime. For some of us, that'll be easy."  
  
"Heh...yeah, you can jus' go back home and see Shera." Barret smirked at Cid, who started.  
  
"What do you mean by that?! I just want to be back in my bed under my own roof." He crossed his arms definitely.  
  
"Okay, guys...let's not get into it today." Tifa spoke up, trying to calm down the innocent fun Barret was poking at Cid. Now just wasn't the time.  
  
"We're here!" A voice called out from the entrance as a young ninja girl ran in causing quite the commotion. "Sorry it took a while...Red wanted to look in the shops again." From behind her a red furred beast walked in with resemblances to both a lion and a dog.  
  
"Actually..." He spoke up, "Yuffie wanted to look at the materia and insisted I come. If it wasn't for me, she probably still wouldn't be here."  
  
"Yeah, right!" Yuffie rolled her eyes. "So what's goin' on?"  
  
"We're making sure everyone has some place to go back to. I'm not leaving anyone stranded." Cloud answered her. "...Where's Cait Sith...?"  
  
"Sorry guys. I'm here. I came in after Yuffie and Red XIII." The robot cat spoke up with Reeve's voice.  
  
"Okay...then that means we've got everyone. Cait Si-..I mean Reeve. Where are you?" Cloud Strife asked as everyone else listened carefully.  
  
"I'm in Midgar right now. The entire upper plate is destroyed, but the slums are still here. A lot of debris has fallen down there though, and a few buildings have been crushed from plate fragments. Luckily, most of the people down there survived."  
  
"Good...so we have survivors?"  
  
"Yeah..it's just a matter of finding everyone." Reeve replied. "Oh, and Elmyra and Marlene are safe. They're helping the survivors."  
  
"Marlene's okay then?" Barret asked hopefully.  
  
"She's fine, don't worry." Cloud nodded in agreement. "...Let's go to a room."  
  
The rest of the party nodded in agreement.  
  
~  
  
"Okay then...." He said, a few blonde spikes falling in his face. "Yuffie's going back to Wutai, Cid to Rocket Town, and Red XIII to Cosmo Canyon. Reeve, you're going to stay in Midgar and help clean up, right?"  
  
"Yep. If at all possible, I'm going to try and make Midgar a whole new metropolis." The little black cat spoke upon the giant mog.  
  
"So that leaves me, Tifa, Vincent, and Barret...." The leader calculated out loud.  
  
"I suppose..." The man in the red cloak spoke up, "That I'll return to Nibelheim and live in the mansion there." Vincent decided.  
  
"Well...since Reeve's helping his city out...I guess me and Marlene should go and help Corel. Show her her hometown...."  
  
"...Then that means it's just me and Tifa." Cloud said, looking over to her as she glanced back at him quietly. "Right.....so, does anyone know of a means of transportation?"  
  
"Duh...the Highwind, maybe?!" Yuffie said, jumping up.  
  
"Dammit! It was destroyed, remember?!" Cid cursed, looking down to the floor angrily. "..Damn Meteor...."  
  
"...Then what about the Tiny Bronco?! We can use it...or chocobos! That's how I got from Wutai, my dad has a golden chocobo."  
  
"But we don't, Yuffie. And the Tiny Bronco..." Tifa trailed off.  
  
"...It can't fly. We don't even know where it is." Red XIII finished for her, laying on the floor.  
  
"....Then I guess we're walkin' it?" Barret sighed. "But, damn, man....ain't we done enough travelin'?"  
  
"Oh, no! Nuh uh...you guys aren't going to make me walk from here to Wutai!" Yuffie protested angrily. "My feet hurt and I'm sick of fighting stupid animals!"  
  
Cloud interrupted the conversation. "I hate to say it, but I know where Yuffie's coming from. We're all pretty sick of fighting, at least I am. So what I was thinking was maybe we can hitchhike to Junon. I'm sure we can find a boat or something when we get there."  
  
"That sounds good, Cloud." Tifa agreed. "Besides, I don't guess we got many other choices."  
  
"Whatever....." Yuffie said. "Can we just GO now?"  
  
"I wouldn't think we'd need any more rest than what we've got, despite how late it is." Vincent stated.  
  
"Yeah....now for the hard part. I guess I'll go look around and see if anyone's headed to Junon." He said, exiting the room.  
  
"....Well, wasn't that a pleasant conversation." Nanaki spoke up, his tail flicking against the floor.  
  
"More like boring...I'm so sick of hearing all of this boo hooing." The ninja said, slumping down to the floor beside Red.  
  
"You know, Yuffie...people probably lost friends and family..." Tifa reminded her. "They have a reason to be sad."  
  
"I know!" She responded. "I'm just sick of it. I want to go home and be the hero Wutai thought I couldn't be!"  
  
"So, you just want to say 'I told you so'? Brag about your victory?" Vincent questioned her, his dark raven hair framing his stoic face.  
  
"Something wrong with that?" She snapped back.  
  
"....." And he said nothing, closing his blood red colored eyes.  
  
"Great news." Cloud returned rather quickly. "This inn's owner said we can borrow her son's truck to get to the Chocobo Ranch. We can leave tonight."  
  
"Really? Great. When are we going?" Tifa asked, standing up.  
  
"Now. The sooner we leave, the better." He said, leaving down the staircase to the lobby.  
  
~  
  
The group had left Kalm a few hours ago, the sky now navy blue, clear and dotted with the white specks known as stars. It was quiet, but peaceful in a way filled with sorrow. The truck made it's way through the open fields to the ranch still a few hours away.  
  
Cid was the driver, and in the passenger's seat sat Vincent. Though usually quiet, him and Cid had managed to create a conversation among themselves. In the back of the truck sat Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, and Red. Cait Sith and Barret had stayed in Kalm and decided to head to Midgar. Cait Sith would most likely be used to help out by means of Reeve, and Barret had went to get Marlene.  
  
Yuffie yawned rather loudly, sprawled out as much as she could be. "Man, this wind blowing on my face is getting annoying." She complained. "And...my stomach's....ugh.....I hate motion sickness."  
  
"Just don't throw up on me and you'll be okay." Nanaki smirked, Tifa managing to form a soft laugh.  
  
"So we're going to catch chocobos again?" She asked Cloud.  
  
"Yeah...we'll have to to cross the marsh."  
  
"...Tonight?"  
  
"It depends on how tired everyone is. If we're all still awake, then there's no need to sit around waiting for the sun to rise." He said, staring up at the stars.  
  
"You know, Cloud....." Tifa paused, following his gaze up to the heavens. "..You seem in a hurry. But why? We don't know of any place to go..."  
  
"...I guess because I just want to know where we'll end up. I don't want to wander forever." Cloud replied thoughtfully. "...The stars...."  
  
"Hmm?" She wondered, still looking at them. Tifa Lockheart was starting to feel a little nostalgic, sitting here by Cloud staring at the night sky.  
  
"What do they remind you of...?" He asked her, turning to look at her. His Mako eyes seemed to glow even more, as if they were illuminated by the moon and stars.  
  
"...That night....the promise....." She smiled, gazing back at him. "..You were thinking about it too?"  
  
"It crossed my mind I guess." He shrugged.  
  
"Oh, Gawd....now I'm really gonna be sick...urk!" Yuffie held her stomach sickly.  
  
"What, do people talking bother you?" Cloud raised a brow, smiling somewhat.  
  
"Whatever!....Ugh, I'm sick....." The ninja rolled over on her stomach, eyes closed tightly.  
  
"Yuffie, perhaps you should try not thinking about it." Red XIII suggested. "Concentrating on it will just make it worse."  
  
"He has a point..." Cloud said. "I've had it before."  
  
"Just..shut up! Shut up...!"  
  
"There's no helping her...." Tifa shook her head, then looked to the stars again. It was by herself this time, though, as it seemed all conversation died. The only sound was the truck itself and her own thoughts.  
  
'Cloud....where will we end up? Will I still see you after this is over...?' She wondered to herself, unable to know what the future holds. All she could do in the meantime was wait and see...but her heart wouldn't let her mind stop wondering.  
  
But still she gazed, looking at the brightest of stars twinkle overhead, and would continue to do so until they came to their next destination.  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter one finished. It's just a start. Suggestions and reviews are welcome. Thanks.  
  
Tifa~Shan 


	2. Traveling By Chocobos

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or anything related.  
  
Chapter 2: Traveling By Chocobos  
  
Peaceful silence. The lack of consciousness. It couldn't have been more welcomed at the time. Those times where life doesn't bother you, a temporary 'death'. She'd fallen asleep, looking at the stars. Her eyes had grown weary, and the twinkling slowly put her to sleep, and she'd since then been like that.  
  
Hours had passed, and it was no doubt very early morning, perhaps twelve or one. On the go for about six hours, they would soon reach their first stop: the Chocobo Ranch.  
  
"Tifa." The voice said, so far away. "Tifa, wake up. We're almost there." She heard it persist softly. However, the trance of sleep kept her, still holding on to it. Then a nudging...a mumble escaped her lips as her eyes reluctantly opened.  
  
"Mmm....?" She looked around, her vision blurred, trying to take in all that was around her.  
  
"We're almost there, Tifa." Said the form in front of her. Rubbing her eyes with her gloved hands, then blinking several times, she focused on him. It was Nanaki, the young beast only about sixteen in his years, staring back at her. "You fell asleep."  
  
"Yeah..." She stretched her arms over her head, forcing herself to awaken fully. "Where are we?"  
  
"Only a few miles from the ranch. It's decided Cloud, Cid, and Vincent will catch some chocobos while you and Yuffie take a break."  
  
"...Isn't everyone tired, though?" Tifa muffled a yawn.  
  
"You and Yuffie." He smirked. "But there wouldn't be enough room for us all to stay at the ranch, so Cloud suggested we keep on moving."  
  
"Oh...okay...." She nodded, looking around. "..What time is it?"  
  
"Around twelve." He answered. "It's not terribly late...though at this rate we probably won't see sleep until the crack of dawn."  
  
"Hey, sleepyhead." Cloud smirked somewhat, looking to her. "Sorry about pushing you on like this..."  
  
"It's okay Cloud. I understand..."  
  
"I say we just use a tent..." Yuffie said sleepily. "I am so tired of this...it's stupid."  
  
"Let's just get across the marsh tonight, we'll set up a tent when we get to the other side. That way all we have to worry about is getting to Junon when we wake up."  
  
"......Hey, look. I think that's it." Tifa pointed to a light in the distance.  
  
"Probably so. Let's get our stuff ready." Cloud advised.  
  
~  
  
The two women and Nanaki sat just outside the ranch, waiting for the others to return with chocobos. Red XIII kept looking around as Yuffie looked at the caught chocobos inside the fenced area curiously. Tifa laid down in the grass, waiting patiently for Cloud to return. Though she wouldn't say it, she would just be happy when they finally closed their eyes for the night.  
  
Crickets chirped among the tall grass of the meadows, and the weather was pleasant out. A faint breeze came by ever so rarely, cooling the slightly warm nighttime air, as fireflies danced around, looking like nothing more than flickering yellow lights. It was a calm scene that was only interrupted by the occasional soft wark of a sleeping chocobo.  
  
Laying against the soft grass, Tifa watched the fireflies, remembering her childhood when she'd chase them during the summer nights. Times when her and Cloud were still so young. That would bring a smile upon her face, but that was about it, and seconds later it would only fade away as other thoughts raced in her mind.  
  
"Don't you think they're taking a while?" Yuffie asked, sitting down beside Tifa. "It can't take that long to get a big, yellow bird."  
  
"Maybe they're on their way back..." She said, sitting up and brushing pieces of grass off of her. "I hope so...it's been awhile. I'm starting to worry.."  
  
"..Me too! About what I'm gonna do when I see 'em coming!" The ninja girl huffed impatiently. "I wanna go home...is it so much to ask?!"  
  
"Yuffie, please...don't yell or you'll wake everyone up." Tifa sighed, one of her hands rubbing the side of her head drowsily. "Besides...."  
  
"...Whatever." Yuffie made a gesture showing she had no more interest before she fell onto her back, the dry blades of grass rustling beneath her. A small grasshopper leaped around her, startled by her movement, before finally landing on her bare, small stomach, a hand brushing it off angrily. "Oh, GAWD....bugs! Gross!"  
  
"It's not going to hurt you...it's just a grasshopper." Tifa whispered loudly. "Don't be so loud...."  
  
Several feet in front of them still sat Red XIII, his tail flicking in the grass, its flaming end causing a warm glow to emit around him. It was so delicate, a small, simple fire burning, but never causing a single blade of grass around him to catch fire. And then the red-furred tail would flick again, the beast keeping guard around them.  
  
'They are taking a while...' The twenty-year-old noted to herself, drawing her legs up to her, arms wrapping around them. With a half-frown, she buried her face into her knees, her stomach empty yet filled with despair. '..What's wrong with me? Everything's safe...' Tifa turned her head to one side, looking at the ground below. '..But it seems anything I think about anymore relates to Cloud and my own life...where will we go? Will I be with him still? Cloud...God, don't leave me....' And then the brunette took a pause, slowly raising her head back up, her mind blank only for a moment as she let her own words sink in. '...I sound so weak! Am I really this helpless without him? No..but I'd feel so empty...' And due to the frustration of it all, her eyes closed tightly, the pit within her deepening.  
  
The silence was peaceful still, but almost unbearable. The twinkling stars above seemed to move their positions in the sky every time they were looked upon, the amount of fireflies starting to dwindle, the constant waiting only becoming more agonizing. The distant, yet oh-so close thoughts of 'just a few more hours' or 'this time tomorrow' would appear again and again, promising, yet still out of reach. They were surely longed for, but the longing itself was awful.  
  
Yuffie's occasional complaints continued, Nanaki's quiet patience remained strong, and Tifa's despair grew within her with each passing second.  
  
"Dammit!" The little ninja jumped up, walking in front of Tifa, making her way to Red. "I'll get my own chocobo. When I'm in Wutai and you're all still sitting here, maybe then you'll realize they aren't coming-"  
  
"At last!" The beast stood up on all fours, his one eye focused far into the distance. "They're back, each with their own chocobo."  
  
"It's about time!" Yuffie rolled her eyes, then gave a twirl, waking herself up.  
  
Tifa just stood up, her eyes quietly searching the navy blue atmosphere around her for the oncoming shapes. Finally, she saw the three riding as fast as they could towards them, the yellow chocobos putting several feet behind them every second. And it was just moments later that the three men dismounted the yellow birds, each one coming to a patient halt before the others.  
  
"Heh...sorry about keeping you guys waiting so long...." Cloud scratched the back of his head, slightly ruffling his golden spikes. "Chocobo's are hard to come by in the middle of the night."  
  
"Yeah, and so is my patience. When are we getting outta this place?" Yuffie Kisaragi interrupted, getting down to business.  
  
"You ain't jokin' are ya?" The old pilot, Cid, commented, holding yet another cigarette as he fumbled with a lighter. "I'm taking a smoke..too damn busy fighting to do anything before."  
  
"...That isn't healthy, you realize." Vincent looked at him with his red orbs, void of any sign of emotion. Just simple eyes, cold, yet filled with signs of a long, hard past.  
  
"And worrying about it ain't either!" He smirked, taking his first, long puff.  
  
"Whatever suits you, I suppose." He gave somewhat of a shrug, looking to the teenager among them. "We'll be leaving soon, once Cid's done smoking."  
  
"Oh, great..." She replied, sarcasm apparent.  
  
"...Been very exciting?" Cloud asked, trying to ease up the tension.  
  
"No..not really..." Tifa answered him, her voice tired. "Nothing really eventful happened while we just sat around here.."  
  
"Excepting Yuffie, of course." Red chuckled. "It really doesn't surprise me it took so long. I was expecting longer...most chocobos sleep all night, hidden among the fields."  
  
"Actually....Cloud found the first one by tripping over it. She wasn't too happy to be awakened, needless to say." Vincent faintly smiled, his distant humor showing on this rare occasion.  
  
"Ahh....well..." The blonde smiled somewhat, laughing lowly. "Once I calmed it down, I was able to ride it....what are you laughing at, Tifa?"  
  
"Oh..nothing...I could just imagine you, though, walking around and suddenly falling on top of a very irate chocobo...." She giggled softly. "I'm glad you're safe though."  
  
"Thanks." He nodded. "I was worried about all of you too....but you were so close to the ranch I figured you'd be okay."  
  
"Wark!" One of the chocobos called out, as the others turned to see Yuffie sitting on top of it, looking around.  
  
"You guys ready yet?" She asked, her smoky hazel eyes glancing at everyone.  
  
"..I guess we might as well be. We still have to put a lot behind us." Tifa reasoned, looking at the other two chocobos curiously. "Three will be enough, right?"  
  
"Yeah, it should be. There's only six of us, and I don't think Red XIII is going to be riding one." Cloud figured.  
  
"Yes...I'll be able to keep up just fine. Two chocobos need to be shared though." The beast commented as he slowly he walked ahead of them, then looked over his shoulder. "Someone ride with Yuffie..."  
  
"HEY!" She shouted out, glaring at him. "I've rode one of these before!"  
  
The others just looked among themselves as Cid stepped out, climbing onto another chocobo, gesturing he was less than willing to deal with Yuffie now. Another pause ensued, as Tifa shook her head sleepily. "I'm too tired..."  
  
"I'll go with her." Vincent said, mounting the chocobo Yuffie was on, placing himself in front of her. The ninja girl was slightly offended, but everyone knew that what she really wanted was out of here.  
  
"Come on, Tifa. We'll ride the last one." Cloud spoke while he walked towards the last one, Tifa following behind him quietly, then the two climbing onto it. Once they were all set, the three chocobos and Nanaki set out running across the fields, the still nighttime air hitting their faces as they rode on.  
  
~  
  
The grasses seemed to last forever until that zolom-infested marsh appeared ahead. Continuing to advance, the chocobos ran into the murky waters easily, Nanaki keeping up his steady pace along with them. All was quiet around them, the area dark now, all of it belonging to the Midgar Zolom, who no doubt lurked below.  
  
The waters of the surface were stirred now, probably alarming one of the serpents. There was no time to linger and no one would dare hesitate. The birds would just keep on making their way through the marsh until the entrance to the mythril mine would be seen ahead.  
  
"I'd really hate to fall into some deep water...." Yuffie said aloud, looking down with uncertain eyes.  
  
"Hopefully no one will." Cloud responded, guiding his chocobo straight ahead, leading the others behind him.  
  
"...Midgar Zolom, huh? Never seen one before...this their breeding grounds?" Cid asked to anyone.  
  
"I'm pretty sure this is the only place they live....but they're always around. So..maybe deep down there, there's a whole lot of them." Tifa figured, her arms around Cloud as to hold on. "I wouldn't want to find out though....."  
  
"Maybe we should just continue...we're in a dangerous area." Red XIII advised, his soaked paws swimming through the more shallow waters.  
  
"You're just scared you don't have a chocobo!" Yuffie Kisaragi teased, but her voice showed just how nervous she was underneath. It was a known fact, chocobo or not, that anyone could be attacked as of now.  
  
"This is a bunch of shit..." Cid mumbled. "How big is this damn-"  
  
"Wark!" One of the chocobos interrupted.  
  
"..What the hell was that for?" Cloud asked, looking behind him. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know!" The pilot cursed under his breath.  
  
"Wark!" It continued, starting to speed up.  
  
"...Oh sh-!" Cid exclaimed, seeing a faint shadow far below. Underneath the nighttime skies, zoloms were harder to see, but he no doubt saw something moving. "Come on, let's move! We're being followed!"  
  
Without question, the others started to pick up their pace, only hoping for the other end of the marsh to come soon. Thoughtless seconds seemed to pass by in hours, everyone filled with uncertainty, eyes wide as the chocobos were just under pushing themselves to their limits on speed. However, Vincent started to slow his chocobo, causing the others to stop as well.  
  
"..HEY! Move it, I don't want to be snake food!" Yuffie demanded, hitting Vincent on the back.  
  
"We don 't seem to be followed...." The gloomy man observed, everyone now at a complete stop. Not even the sounds of crickets were heard.  
  
"...Well, do we just keep on going?" Tifa Lockheart questioned, glancing to everyone.  
  
"We might as well....come on." Cloud shrugged, sitting in front of her. As luck had it, however, a low cry was heard behind them not too far away. It was a hissing sound, mixed with an odd growl. Everyone's heart seemed to skip a beat.  
  
'Great..what now?' The blonde leader thought, his mako eyes looking around fully alerted. He kept so quiet, not even his breathing was heard by Tifa, his ears straining to hear any other signs. His stomach felt a pit opening in it however, a gut feeling something was too close for comfort. Mako orbs darted about, and without reason, he began to glance upward, only to see a large silhouette against the dark navy blue sky. The silhouette of a zolom.  
  
At that moment, time froze, Cloud Strife looking back at the monster staring at him, all but himself oblivious to the fact that there...right there, it was watching them. His breathing stopped entirely, everything a blur, then suddenly, the voice of Tifa was asking him gently but firmly what was wrong. And then he snapped out of it.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" He shouted, everyone looking at him suddenly as he directed their gaze to the beast behind them. Knowing now it had been spotted, it let out an angry hissing screech, diving into the waters below to start the chase.  
  
"DAMN!" Cid yelled out, forcing his chocobo to maximum speed, Cloud and Vincent doing the same as Nanaki ran between the birds, his paws splashing into the water below him.  
  
"Oh GAWD...we're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Yuffie screamed out in terror, clawing on to Vincent.  
  
"No, we're not." He replied, urgently, yet cool, steering the chocobo ahead.  
  
"...Ugh, you're such a freak! Aren't you scared in the least?"  
  
"...I forgot what it was to be afraid." Vincent said simply, his raven strands blowing by his face.  
  
"I found it!" Cid announced, now leading the others. "Hold on, it'll be a rough landing!"  
  
The small entrance to the mine was within sight, a small grassy plain just before it. But the zolom was behind them and catching up at a deadly pace.  
  
"Persistent bastard..." The pilot cursed, looking behind him just enough to see the risk following. Eyes narrowing, they were fixed on the tiny plain ahead, determined to make it.  
  
"Here we go." Vincent warned Yuffie, the two coming up close behind Cid. The two chocobos were soon racing alongside each other, their destinations the same.  
  
Then as expected, the chocobos hit land, both coming to a rough stop, fumbling and falling to the ground, the riders thrown across the grass. Red XIII stopped only seconds after, his landing almost as bad as the others. It was a hard fall, but they had made it alive out of harm's way. Yuffie was the first to sit up, rubbing her head and mumbling, then Cid, cursing. Nanaki sat up, walking to the others on all fours. Finally, Vincent recovered, his red orbs scanning the area.  
  
"We're missing people..." He noted, the others looking to him then each other.  
  
"..Cloud and Tifa!" Both the ninja and the pilot exclaimed at once.  
  
~  
  
Their hearts were beating fast as the yellow bird pushed itself across those dark waters. There was no telling just how close the enemy was to them, but there was no time to wonder as Cloud raced the chocobo dangerously across the marsh.  
  
Tifa's arms held onto his waist tightly to keep from falling off, which in itself proved to be a struggle under the force of the speed. Her breaths were fast, her heart pulsing in her ears, her mind blank with fear.  
  
"Please let's hurry..." She hoped out loud, her eyes closed tightly.  
  
"We're almost there, don't worry Tifa!" Cloud reassured her, his golden spikes blowing in the wind. "We'll be okay."  
  
"All right." Tifa nodded slightly, her arms still around him securely. Though it was silent, it seemed anything but that. A blurring reality around them was what it was, just another challenge after a series of challenges where you'd come out alive or dead. However, a death by a zolom would seem unlikely after all that they'd been through, and Tifa comforted herself only ever so slightly with this thought.  
  
"I see it." He told her, her eyes opening slowly, looking past him to search for the entrance up ahead. But what she instead noticed what the feeling of her stomach floating. Floating as if they were rising.  
  
"...Cloud? What's going on?" She asked, looking around them then down, her eyes focusing on the very dark water. It then registered in her mind with a rough realization that the Midgar Zolom was below them, rising out of the water. "..Cloud! It's under us!"  
  
"Dammit!" He cursed, his stomach flipping as he felt a slight wave of motion sickness, but even greater he felt the fear of what Tifa was telling him. The chocobo beneath them hesitated, the entrance and others so close now, they were practically below them. But they were steadily getting higher. "Here goes nothing..." Cloud dryly swallowed, as he directed to chocobo to leap across the air off of the rising zolom.  
  
Tifa gasped, all happening as if in slow motion, the ground a few feet below them as they were falling either to land in the marsh..into the zoloms clutches or to hit the ground. Neither seemed pleasant, but it was measured between death or scratches and bruises.  
  
And that last second couldn't have been longer until time finally picked up upon the impact of their landing.  
  
The chocobo warked as both Cloud and Tifa rolled across the grass, the shock of their landing temporarily numbing any pain. The bird itself chirped softly from its misery, the impact having hurt one of its wings. It tried to stand up, but the imbalance from the hurt wing made it difficult.  
  
Tifa lay in the grass for a few seconds, her eyes opening slowly, focusing. Sitting up, she let out a small moan, shaking her head. "Ugh...man..." She cringed, holding her head gently with both hands. Finally, she started to pick herself up after getting oriented.  
  
Cloud, on the other hand, recovered a bit more easily, already standing and walking towards the poor chocobo. Kneeling down by it, he inspected its wing, brows drawn together thoughtfully. "I think it's broken." He announced.  
  
"Aw...poor thing." Tifa said with sympathy to the creature, bending over by Cloud to stroke it's soft yellow feathers. "I don't want to leave it here..."  
  
"We'll let it rest with us tonight." He decided. "The other chocobos can be let go, guys."  
  
"All right then." Cid agreed, starting to set the other two free. "Want me to pitch a tent here?"  
  
"Yeah...we might as well call it a day." Cloud nodded, looking over the chocobo.  
  
"It's always somethin'..." Yuffie sighed, laying down in the grass, sprawled out underneath the stars. "We'll be lucky if we're five feet from here tomorrow."  
  
"Shut up and get some sleep." Cid demanded of the ninja girl. "We'll be there when we get there, complaining never did any good."  
  
"If you'd get the tent set up, old man!" She proceeded to whine.  
  
"...Nothing ever changes, does it?" Vincent commented, sitting down away from the crowd. His gaze was downward, towards the ground, his eyes closed as if he were in deep thought. His legs were drawn up, arms resting on his knees, that mass of black hair in his face.  
  
"All right...time to hit the sack." Cid Highwind smirked, his arms crossed having proudly set up a decent tent. "We'll have to squeeze in order for all of us to fit in here though."  
  
"I'm content with staying outside." Red XIII said, laying down comfortably. "Good night, I suppose." His one unharmed eye closed sleepily.  
  
"The rest of you stay inside...I'll watch after him." Cloud decided, looking at the chocobo. "Get your rest, we'll leave when everyone's awake."  
  
"And the chocobo?" Vincent questioned.  
  
"I'll check on him. Don't worry." He reassured, the others making their way into the tent for a much needed rest.  
  
"..You'll be okay out here, right?" Tifa looked to him with her concerned eyes, hesitant to leave him.  
  
"Yeah..get your rest. You need it." He smiled back to her, settling down beside the bird.  
  
"Okay..if you need anything tell me though, all right?" She said, looking down a moment before reluctantly leaving.  
  
"Okay." Cloud agreed as the area became quiet.  
  
The chocobo was in an uneasy sleep due to its injury. Everyone else was settled in as well, including Red XIII who lay off to himself a few feet from Cloud. Everything was bathed in silence, this area mostly uninhabited, but at least the night was clear out and rather tranquil.  
  
Having made their way from Kalm at such late hours had proved to be a tiring task, and the sleep that greeted them all wasn't an easy one. It was a tired, worn sleep obtained only because no one could possibly push themselves further, and the fact that the sun would rise only in a few hours wasn't very pleasant either. But everyone had successfully fallen asleep, knowing that when they woke up, it'd be off to Junon, walking across more of those grassy plains that lay before them.  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter two completed at last. Sorry if the updates are coming along slow, school awaits me not even two days from now. At any rate, I'll be working on chapter three, and I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far and those who will. The suggestions and such really help!  
  
Tifa~Shan 


End file.
